Chapter Ninety-Four: Du Kang and Du An

As the lord of Five Blessings City, Du Liang had seen the world.

Yet he had never encountered a genius like Qingxi.

Only fifteen or sixteen years old, yet already at the Great Circle of Qi Refinement, able to shatter the strongest defense of a prodigy of the same rank.

In Du Liang’s eyes, such combat strength was no different from that of a true prodigy.

“I have been blind,” he murmured. “I never imagined the Spirit Origin Sect would value us Five Blessings City so highly this time as to send two quasi-prodigies.”

Du Kang nodded as well. “Indeed. If that mysterious senior sister, that prodigy-class genius, were also to arrive, then it would truly be lively... Those three are all top-tier talents with the bearing of a Spirit Resonance Realm expert.”

With a kindly expression, Du Liang patted Du Kang’s shoulder and said with earnest gravity, “My son, do not belittle yourself. In your father’s eyes, you too have the bearing of a Spirit Resonance Realm expert.”

Those words stirred Du Kang’s blood.

He clenched his fists and looked toward the future with longing.

After entering the city, everyone stayed within the city lord’s residence.

Qingxi leaped directly onto the roof and surveyed the surroundings.

The outer demons could only descend from beyond the heavens, falling like meteors. Thus, so long as one kept watch on the sky, they would scarcely be missed.

However, after waiting for a long time, there was still no movement.

Lin Feng climbed onto the roof and said, “Brother Qingxi, I heard City Lord Du say the outer demons will arrive tonight.”

Qingxi looked surprised. “How does he know?”

“Messenger Mo Kongxiao arrived here yesterday. After delivering the news, he left,” Lin Feng explained.

“Tonight, then... I’m looking forward to it!”

Qingxi murmured to himself.

By now, the origins of the five elements were nearly enough to satisfy the conditions for his spiritual roots to advance. According to his calculations, as long as he casually killed a Profound-rank demon beast or an outer demon, he would be able to transform enough origin power.

By then, his spiritual roots would enter the Profound tier.

That was already the highest level of spiritual roots in Cloud River Province. Even in other provinces of the same rank, it would count as top-tier.

Profound-tier spiritual roots far exceeded the needs of his current stage.

Hearing Qingxi’s murmur, Lin Feng almost thought he had misheard.

Looking forward to it?

Who would look forward to such terrifying outer demons?

At that moment, Du Kang, clad in battle armor, walked beneath the eaves. He raised his head to look at Qingxi, who leaned against the ridgepole, and clasped his hands. “Might you be Brother Qingxi of the Spirit Origin Sect? I am Du Kang, a pleasure to meet you!”

Though Five Blessings City was not formally a vassal city of the Spirit Origin Sect, it was nearly so.

As the eldest son of the city lord, Du Kang would eventually inherit the city lord’s seat.

Taking the chance to build a good relationship with Qingxi, this quasi-prodigy, was absolutely necessary.

This was not only an instruction from City Lord Du Liang, but also something Du Kang himself desired.

In the world of cultivation, one speaks of wealth, companions, methods, and land. The term “companions” refers to friends or mentors; more broadly, it means anyone who can aid one’s cultivation.

To Du Kang, whether Li Kantian or Qingxi, both were such people.

As a transmigrator well-versed in common story tropes, how could Qingxi fail to guess Du Kang’s intentions?

Still, upon hearing the other man’s name, he could not help but curl his lips slightly and thought to himself, “Lord Cao once said, ‘How can one dispel sorrow? Only with Du Kang.’ Pity this Du Kang is not that Du Kang.”

Then he leaped down from the roof and cupped his hands. “So you are Brother Wine. A pleasure to meet you.”

“Eh...”

Du Kang froze. “My surname is Du, and my given name is Kang.”

“So it is Brother Du. A pleasure.”

Qingxi quickly corrected himself.

After reading Du Kang’s information, he became somewhat surprised.

[Race: Human]

[Name: Du Kang]

[Spiritual Roots: Peak Mortal Grade]

[Cultivation: Level Thirty of Qi Refinement]

[Note: The son of the city lord of Five Blessings City. His talent is not high, but he harbors great ambitions. He dreams that one day he will enter the Spirit Resonance Realm, bring glory to his ancestors, and transform Five Blessings City into a star-ranked power.]

“Tsk, tsk. He really is a man of lofty ambition, just a pity his spiritual roots are not enough,” Qingxi thought that Du Kang actually looked rather pleasant to the eye.

Not for any other reason, just because of the name.

But in Qingxi’s view, unless Du Kang obtained some great opportunity, it would be very hard for him to enter the Spirit Resonance Realm.

He had asked Pipi Help about this before, and learned that while the rank of one’s spiritual roots had no absolute relation to the realm of cultivation, it could still serve as a reference.

Waste-grade spiritual roots held no hope of reaching Innate Realm.

Mortal-grade roots had a chance to become Innate. With a peak mortal-grade aptitude like Du Kang’s, and as the heir of a great city such as Five Blessings City, there was even some possibility of reaching the later stage or even the Great Circle of Innate in the future.

But to break into the Spirit Resonance Realm, the odds were almost hopeless.

Unless one could obtain a great opportunity.

Generally speaking, one needed at least Spirit-grade aptitude to become Spirit Resonance.

That was also why, within Cloud River Province, people called those with Spirit-grade spiritual roots geniuses.

As for someone like Qiu Yingying, a Profound-tier prodigy, attaining realms beyond Spirit Resonance, such as Origin Resonance or Golden Resonance, would not be difficult in the future.

There was even a chance of reaching the Heavenly Profound Realm, revered as the domain of a king-level powerhouse.

At the very least, such a person could become a half-step king-level powerhouse and establish even the lowest two-star power.

Du Kang did not know what Qingxi was thinking. Seeing Lin Feng leap down from the roof, he greeted him as well, and the two quickly became acquainted.

Lin Feng was tactful and adept at handling people. Before long, he and Du Kang were speaking like sworn brothers, as though they had met too late in life.

“If the two brothers do not mind, why not come with me for a stroll around the city lord’s residence? Though Five Blessings City cannot compare with the blessed lands of the immortal sect, it has its own distinctive charm,” Du Kang said warmly.

Partly he wished to make friends, and partly he found that Lin Feng and Qingxi somehow seemed easy to get along with, unlike the haughty coldness of other star-ranked sect disciples.

“Then we shall trouble you,” Qingxi and Lin Feng said, without refusing, and followed Du Kang through the city lord’s residence.

Along the way, Qingxi kept scanning all directions.

At present, the system’s scan range had expanded to a radius of fifty meters, but even so it could only cover one-tenth of the city lord’s residence.

“Ding! A sealed miniature earth vein discovered.”

“Ding! A genius with Spirit-grade spiritual roots discovered.”

...

“There is actually a miniature earth vein and a genius with Spirit-grade spiritual roots... This city lord’s residence is no simple place!” Qingxi thought.

An earth vein was also known as a spirit vein, and it could continuously generate spiritual energy.

In a star-ranked power such as the Spirit Origin Sect, there would be a small earth vein hundreds of meters underground, nurturing spiritual energy every day and ensuring the cultivation needs of the disciples.

But beneath the city lord’s residence of Five Blessings City, nearly fifty meters deep underground, that miniature earth vein was in a closed state, as though sealed by something, and therefore emitted no spiritual energy.

Perhaps even Du Kang and City Lord Du Liang did not know that a miniature earth vein lay deep beneath their own home.

Just then, a chubby little boy with a tiger-like face and a round, plump countenance came running over, snot nearly dripping into his mouth.

“It’s that naughty little rascal again!”

Du Kang rolled his eyes, but still used his sleeve to wipe Du An’s nose clean.

Qingxi looked at this little chubby child of only five or six years old and was momentarily stunned.

The genius just detected to possess Spirit-grade spiritual roots was none other than this little fellow.

After reading his information, Qingxi learned that the child’s name was Du An, Du Kang’s younger brother by blood.

Because Five Blessings City did not have a bone stele for testing spiritual roots, perhaps neither Du Kang nor Du Liang knew that this little fellow was actually a genius with the bearing of a Spirit Resonance Realm expert.

Qingxi patted Du An’s head and smiled. “This is your younger brother, isn’t it? He looks lively and tiger-like to me. He has the bearing of a Spirit Resonance Realm expert.”

Lin Feng said, “I think so too.”

Du Kang was startled. “Really?”